A Graven Flower
by Evhron
Summary: Sequel to Higurashi Unexpect(ed) Savior Arc. The son of Amuro and Mion experiences a chain of odd events that will force him and other characters to investigate. A story about murders, ominous signs and paradoxes awaits him. Rated M for gore, limes and stuff like that.
1. Sonozaki Nagato

"Sonozaki! Don't listen to music while in class! And sit properly!" An old maths teacher reprimended him.

"Okay sensei... Dammit..." A 17 year-old Nagato did as he was told and put the earbud out of his left ear at the same time as he stopped leaning on the wall and sat as he was told.

After the class ended, it was time for break.

"Good morning Nagato-kun! I would have saluted you earlier, but you arrived late" A cute girl with very long dark green hair and deep blue eyes was welcoming him.

"You know I couldn't care less about Math. I decided to have more sleep instead... You could try it some time Himiko"

"Ha! My mother would scold me to no end if I overslept on purpose, and my dad... Well, I think he's the kind that would kill me silently" Kimiyoshi Himiko was one of the top students in class 3-C.

"Hey Nagato, English is next, wanna cut class?" A tall boy with straight blonde hair and amber eyes joined them.

"I'm okay with it, Shinji, after all, I never study and I'm top of the class in English. You on the other hand..."

"Tsk! Who needs English anyway? We live in Japan! And I'm not gonna work in tourism either..." Karakura Shinji wasn't the brightest at school, but he put a lot of effort into the things he really liked.

"Still, you should try harder. Also, if you keep cutting class you might get suspended _again_. I don't understand how your parents are so calm after all the times you've faced that punishment" The last part was directed at Nagato.

"Almost all of them were for fighting though, not for cutting class" He remarked.

"It's even worse. No wonder you are known as this school's worst delinquent" Himiko reminded him.

"People can say anything they want... If they stay away, it's actually good for me"

"*sigh* How did you change so much? What happened to that cheerful kid who played with me along with Ryuu-kun and Mikoto-chan every Watanagashi?"

"He's dead. Now, what was I gonna do...?"

"Don't say it so casually!"

"Geez, if it wasn't for the fact that your parents know each other, I guess you wouldn't be friends at all" Shinji smirked.

"That's- Not true..." Himiko seemed hurt by that.

"Sorry, I was just kidding!" He apologized.

"Whatever... I'll go buy a drink at the vending machine" Nagato left the room and walked down the hallway to the stairs.

When he exited his classroom, it wasn't rare that other students looked at him with fear. Nagato was known for having taken down several other delinquents and bullies since his arrival as a first year.

It wasn't a big deal for him, since he had been born with the same supernatural strength of Amuro, and Mion had taught him Kendo and other martial arts since he was little.

He moved into Okinomiya for a change, as he grew tired of being in the same village for so long, so he didn't care about little things such as a couple students and teachers fearing or disliking him.

Once he got to the machine, on the second floor, he bought a lemon soda and waited for it to drop. As he did he noticed a trio of girls that seemed to be muttering something in a negative way.

"Who does she think she is? Ignoring me and refusing to talk to anyone in class in her first day... Talk about about a freak!" A fake blonde girl that seemed to be the leader spouted.

"Yeah, just look at her reading her book outside..." A taller one with long black hair added.

"She has quite the nerve, to be a transfer student" The shorter one with brown hair in a tail and glasses pointed out.

"Second years..." Nagato thought as he drank a sip of his soda. "And bullying a new student too. Who are they talking about anyway?" He became curious, so he walked to the window.

As he looked outside, he noticed that there was a girl he had never seen before. She had long lilac hair and gray eyes. Nagato thought she was pretty, but didn't feel an urge to go and talk to her.

It was obvious that those other girls were jealous of her for some reason though, but he couldn't think what that reason was.

"People are such a bother..." He muttered as he came back to his classroom.

In the end he didn't cut class and neither did Shinji. They did as normal and waited for lunch. When the bell finally rang, the two friends went to the cafeteria. Despite being another good friend, Himiko used to hang out with a group of girls as well, so most of the time Shinji and Nagato ate together.

"I envy you, man. To think that you don't live in your hometown anymore and yet you always get those delicious home-made bentos..." Shinji looked at his friend's meal.

"I told Mom that she didn't have to do this anymore, but she insists. It's not like I'm gonna complain anyway" As he spoke his look was directed at the girl he had seen earlier. Of course she was eating alone, but she didn't seem to care, either.

"Is something the matter?" Shinji noticed that he was looking somewhere else.

"It's nothing" Nagato continued eating but Shinji looked in the same direction and saw what had picked his friend's attention.

"Ah, the new girl. She's a beauty, isn't she? It's actually strange to see her eating alone"

"You already saw her? I heard she's a transfer student that came in today"

"Yeah, I happened to run into her when I was entering the school. I think she's in second grade. Maybe I could invite her to join us-"

"Don't even think about it" Nagato gave him a serious look.

"Hey, why not? She's all alone and this could be my chance to become her friend" It was obvious that Shinji wanted more than that.

"I don't think she really minds being alone, you'll just bother her"

"Nghh..." He made a sound of frustration as he knew Nagato was right. "H-Hey! Talking about girls, you won't believe what my brother got me for my birthday!"

"What is it? Don't tell me it's a porn magazine"

"What? No! Why would I want that as a gift? After all, I steal those from him all the time"

Nagato sighed.

"What I got was... Two tickets for an all you can eat buffet at Angel Mort! For tomorrow!"

"Ah, now I understand. You want me to beat you up for staring at my cousin in that tight maid suit"

"That's not what I meant, I swear! I wouldn't invite you if that was the case..."

"Huh? I thought you'd go with your brother"

"Nah, he is going back to Kyoto that day. And even if he was here, I know how much you love to eat so... What do you say?"

"That you are a pervert"

"Do you want to go or not?!"

"Hmm... Whatever, I accept" Nagato smiled, which was something he rarely did nowadays, but that was one of the reasons he was Shinji's friend.

Ever since he arrived, other students were distant to him. He accepted it because he thought people in the city were colder. However, Shinji would sometimes pop up and start talking to him for no apparent reason. At first, Nagato would tell him to shut up or go away, but after a couple weeks he found out that was useless.

All in all though, Shinji's reactions and attitude made him laugh from time to time, and that was something he appreciated.

"Yeah! I'll get to see the pretty ladies along with my pal!"

"Don't push your luck, Karakura" Nagato looked at him menacingly.

"Heh... Alright"

"Aside from that, have you been able to find a dummer?"

"No, not of the level we want at least. All the guys I know are into Rock, Punk or Grunge, not a single one is interested in Mathcore or Prog Metal..."

"*sigh* Well, sooner or later one will appear. We just gotta keep looking. In the meantime, we gotta keep getting better. I'm still trying to play those complex riffs while singing, but it's damn hard..."

"You'll get through it Nagato, I'm sure. You're a talented person after all"

"What does that mean?"

"That you're the kind of person that can do anything they propose themselves"

"You really think that? I don't think I'm _that_ talented..."

"How not? Man, you're the eleventh on marks of the 93 students of the level, you are the strongest guy in the school, you play the guitar like Petrucci AND you're popular with the girls!"

"That last one is not true..."

"And you're oblivious of it! Look to your right" Shinji whispered.

As Nagato did, a group of younger girls suddenly started looking in the opposite direction with their faces red.

"It might be true then... But I've never been able to draw Manga, and it's something I've always wanted to do..."

"Any new Manga release has picked your interest?"

"Not yet, but I'm still reading Elfen Lied. It's so damn good..." Remembering that made Nagato smile as well.

"Yeah, I know. Too bad that it doesn't have long, or at least it doesn't feel like it"

"Maybe, but there's plenty of other Manga we can read by then"

"That's for sure"

The two friends finished eating and went back to class. It was a normal Friday overall. It's true that Nagato didn't have a lot of friends, but he was happy knowing that his two pals were people he could rely on.

The final bell rang.

"Hey, Nagato-kun, you know what day's today?" Himiko tried to remind him.

"Um... Friday?"

"No, that's not what I mean. It's the 3rd of June, we're three weeks away from Watanagashi!"

"Oh, that thing. Well, it's nice to hang out with the others sometimes"

"Don't act like you are not looking forward to it, I know Ryuu-kun is still your best friend, you just like to pretend that you don't care"

"Shut up, that's not true. I know he's fine, that's all"

"And I also know that every weekend you go to Angel Mort and accompany Mikoto-chan to the bus stop until the bus to Hinamizawa arrives"

"Another word and you'll be berried alive"

"Hahahaha, okay, okay. I don't know why you make such a big deal of it. You're a good guy deep inside Nagato, and you know it" Himiko gave him a warm smile.

"Yeah, whatever. Are we leaving or what? What's the freaking hold up, Shinji?"

"Sorry, I couldn't find my copybook, but now I'm ready"

"Let's go, then"

The three friends walked downtown together before each went in a different direction home.

"This city gets bigger and bigger every year. To think that my parents left Kakiuchi city to live here... It gives you an idea of how much Okinomiya has changed" Himiko pointed out.

"Now that I think about it, you don't talk much about your hometown, Nagato" Shinji was curious.

"What can I say about Hinamizawa... Well, I think it's a quiet place, the people are really nice and the fresh air that you breathe is, kind of, liberating" He smiled as he remembered the breeze of his town.

"Wow, you sound like you really love Hinamizawa, why would you leave it?"

"I've told you before, I was bored. I don't know, I wanted to have a taste of life in the city, I guess"

"Fair enough. My family moved from Kyoto looking for a place that wasn't as crowded as a metropolis, but could be called a city in the end. Kisuke went back to Kyoto for University though, and I think I'll be doing the same" Shinji replied.

"_If_ we go to University" Nagato remarked.

"Well, if we find a drummer and we have good luck, of course, I'll be a full-time bassist!"

"I really hope we do..."

"You're really passionate about music, aren't you?" Himiko grinned at Nagato.

"Yeah..." He blushed. "Got a problem with that?"

"No. It's great actually. I wish you two the best of luck"

"Thanks..."

They got to the park in the city center that divided their paths.

"Well, see you next week!" Himiko left.

"Bye, Himiko-chan" Shinji replied.

"See ya" Nagato said.

"And I gotta go the other way as well. See you tomorrow at Angel Mort!"

"Yeah, thanks Shinji"

"It's nothing!"

Himiko had gone to the left and Shinji walked right. Only Nagato went forward towards his appartment.

Once he arrived, he threw his schoolbag in a corner and jumped into the bed.

After listening to music for a while, he decided to make a call.

"Hello? Nagato?"

"Who else would it be Ryuu?"

"Well, I don't know, it could be anyone as long as they had your cell"

"Like I'd let that happen"

"Well, that's true. How's everything going in the city?"

"Good enough. Classes suck, like always, but there are many things you can do afterwards"

"I think I would've joined you if it wasn't for Eiko. You know, she is little and all, so I gotta take care of her"

"How old is Eiko-chan now?"

"She's seven already"

"Time sure flies..."

"Yeah, just think about it, this is your last year isn't it?"

"Yep, I'm about to end my time as a High School student"

"Houjou-sensei told me something related to that the other day..."

"Well, for me she's only Satoko-obachan"

"Haha, that's right. She told me that she couldn't care less if you wanted to graduate from an overrated city High School, but I'm sure she's just acting tsundere..."

"She possibly is, _or _after all those years teaching us maybe she felt betrayed, I don't know..."

"Nah, I bet she's just sad cause she thought that she would be graduating us all some day, and you are the first child of our parents' group of friends"

"That's true. Actually, I could pay my parents a visit on Sunday"

"Don't waver to show yourself around here as well"

"Of course, I wouldn't mind kicking your ass at Dairantou Smash Brothers DX"

"Just you wait, Nagato. I'm sure that next time _I_ am going to win"

"We'll see about that. See you on Sunday"

"I'll be waiting"

He hanged up and laid on his bed again. After a while resting he got up and grabbed his guitar.

Amuro and Mion saw that he had an interest in music since he was very little, as he would try to play the Koto and sometimes grabbed Amuro's Shamisen as well. For this reason, they bought an acoustic guitar when he was 6. After a couple years, he became interested in Rock and Metal, so he wanted an electric guitar. For his 11th birthday, they gave him a blue electric guitar with 24 frets, 2 more than the usual. Nagato liked it so much that he would play it all day.

Because of that, he started to spend more time inside his room than outside. Mion became worried about this, but Amuro convinced her that it was his passion and that he had a more introverted personality, just like him, so it was normal that he would find more happiness in his art than playing outside.

Nagato became a bit more colder towards others due to that, but on the other hand, he had developed an outstanding musical ear and had gotten extremely good at playing the guitar. He specially admired guitar shredders, and noticed that a couple of them used 7-string guitars, which brings us to his 15th birthday, in which he got a Music Man JP7 of an elegant red colour from his parents.

After playing those seven strings of wonder, Nagato fell in love with the instrument because of the large field of creative possibility that it gave him. Due to that, he decided that he wanted to start a band. _This_ was the real reason he moved to the city, and the second reason why he also became Shinji's friend, who happened to be a pretty good bassist.

Nowadays, it seemed like the real challenge was finding a drummer up to their high standards, but the two had hopes of finding one before the end of the year.

After a couple hours his stomach was growling, so he decided to have dinner. He didn't use to cook during the week, and even less in the night, so it was typical that he went out to a restaurant.

He specially liked a Korean Baebecue restaurant, so he decided to go there that night. He hated waiting in general, so this was a perfect choice. In a little while, the slices of meat he purchased would arrive to his table along with some rice and vegetables, then he would put the raw meat on the grill for a couple seconds on each side and devour it.

The owner of the restaurant also knew him at this point, and sometimes even added a couple slices for free to reward him for his preference.

"See ya, Matsumoto-san, the meat was great like always" Nagato thanked him.

"Glad that you liked it Nagato-san, I hope to see you back soon"

"I'll be, sooner or later"

With a filled stomach, Nagato could go to bed and look forward to Shinji's invitation. After arriving to his appartment, he took a shower and went to bed afterwards.

The next day, the two friends met outside Angel Mort.

"Hi Nagato! Are you ready to enter paradise?" Shinji teased him with his elbow.

"Dessert paradise, that is. Also, one weird look to Mikoto and you..."

"I know, I know. I'm a dead man"

The two entered the restaurant and were shown their seat by a cute blonde girl that was the most experienced at the place.

"So cute..." Shinji was drooling.

"Well, it is your birthday gift so I'm not gonna criticize the way you enjoy it"

"My, Nagato-oniichan! It's been long since you've come here as a client!" Mikoto came to greet him in her maid suit. She had become a beautiful young woman very simar to Shion and had grown a pair of breasts that were slightly bigger than her mother's (if that was even possible).

"You will be serving us, Mikoto?"

"Yep, Nabeshima-senpai told me you were here"

"Ah, the blonde girl at the entrance. I'm surprised she recognised me"

"What are you saying? After all, you come here every weekend to escort me to the bus stop" She made a cute face as if she was a maiden in need of protection.

"Mikoto...!" Nagato was upset cause Shinji was there, but he didn't seem to pay attention.

"Oh, hi Karakura-senpai!" She knew him of sight since he was Nagato's friend.

"H-Hi, Mikoto-san..." He seemed to be making an effort not to look at her.

"Hey Shinji, what are you...?" Nagato got curious about his sudden change of attitude.

"Nagato... I tried my best, I swear. But, having such an Angel standing in front of me... I cannot. I just can't miss such a golden opportunity. So, even if it means Death shall come sooner than expected, I will take the risk" Shinji said as he opened his eyes to see Mikoto.

As he witnessed her daring tighs, her bouncing melons and beautiful fuchsia eyes his nose suddenly exploded with blood.

"Hey Shinji! I know what I said, but at this rate you'll die before I get the chance to kill you!" Nagato was now worried about his friend bleeding to death.

"Oh well, I guess I should be back in a while. I'll bring each a glass of mineral water in the meantime"

"Thanks, Mikoto"

After a couple minutes, Shinji was alright again and asked for a strawberry-cream parfait. Nagato was already eating his third dessert by now, which was a banana split with three balls of ice cream, one of chocolate-mint chip, another ball of pistachio and the third one of _Heaven_ (a sweet blue ice cream) flavour.

"If you ate a bit slower maybe you would enjoy it" Shinji pointed out.

"This is my way of enjoying food" He said before he continued chomping the dessert. "I'm having a couple mont-blanc's after this"

"Well, at least it seems that you're having a good time"

"No need to say it. Thanks, Shinji" Nagato was thankful from the bottom of his heart.

"You're welcome. I tried your gift by the way, those bass strings you bought sound great"

"Glad you liked them"

Nagato continued eating for another while and Shinji used that time to enjoy the sight of the waitresses.

"Paradise..." He muttered while drooling and putting his dumbest face.

After finishing his dessert buffet, Nagato was ready to go. Shinji was happy with the use he gave his brother's gift and was ready to call it a day.

"Kuta... Kuta..." Nagato said in sign that he was full.

"Shall we go?" His friend replied.

"Okay. Again... Thanks, Shinji"

"It's nothing compared to what you did for me back in the day..."

"Oh. Well, it's what friends do"

The two friends exited the place.

"Do you want to wait for Mikoto-san?"

"Nah, I'm sure she can manage on her own for once"

They walked to the same park downtown to say goodbye.

"Well, that was a blast! Now you know where to invite me next time, Nagato!"

"Sure, and you'll bleed to death in a week at that rate"

"Hahaha, I wouldn't mind dying for that. See ya!" Shinji waved his hand and went towards his home.

"Yeah, see ya..." Nagato started walking his way home.

On the way, he suddenly felt a weird sensation. It was like he was no longer living. A feeling like he was somehow playing some kind of first person game with his body.

**Then it all went black.**

On Sunday, he visited his parents like he said he would do in his hometown.

As he walked from the bus stop to the Sonozaki Manor, some villagers recognised him and stopped to greet him. Nagato was known for being a troublesome kid that was full of energy.

"When did I stop being so cheerful?" He thought.

As he arrived at the manor, he felt an awkward silence. Most of the times, somebody would go to greet him loudly, but this didn't seem to be one of those times.

He kept walking through the path and entered the house.

"Tadaima-"

"Surprise!" A loud choir of voices welcomed him.

"Heh, I gotta admit that I didn't expect that"

"I couldn't stay shut about you coming, so everyone came to greet you" Ryuu said as he gave Nagato a _best buds_ kind of handshake.

"I see"

"~Hau~ Nagato-kun has grown so much! I hadn't seen him since last Watanagashi" Ryuu's mother said.

"Hi, Rena-obasan"

"And look who we have here... I bet you are not coming back to my classroom this time either..." A certain blonde woman with fuchsia eyes was scolding him.

"Sorry, Satoko-obachan, but I think I'll graduate from my current school" Nagato acted like he couldn't care less.

"It's not like I'll be accepting you as a transfer student either ~ohohoho~"

"Yeah, whatever..."

"Humph!" She crossed her arms.

"It's been a while Nagato..." A familar adult man's voice said behind him.

"Tousan, it's good to see you! Last time you were out of town..." Nagato was glad to see his father.

"Yeah, I had to deal with something that time, but I made sure that this time such a thing wouldn't happen" Amuro remembered how he sent his men to _erase_ a troublesome gang.

"Nagato!" A woman's voice called his attention.

"Kasan..." Mion was hugging him so tightly that he had trouble breathing.

"I was so worried... You forgot to call me on Friday"

"Yeah... Forgot..." Nagato had done it on purpose.

"You may think it's a drag to call your mother 3 times a week, but for me, it means that my dear son is safe and sound" Mion had always been caring for her son, but after he went to Okinomiya her maternal cares became a bit more... Intense.

"Don't worry, I'm alright, see? It's not like something bad can happen as long as I'm _his_ son anyway" Nagato said as he pointed Amuro.

Mion stood silent for a second, but then went back: "In any case, I'm relieved" She said grabbing him against her chest again.

"Na-ga-to-nii!" Mikoto hugged him from behind.

"Agh, Mikoto! What have I told you about sneaking from behind?"

"I can't help it... After all, you didn't wait for me yesterday..."

"It's the first time that I didn't!"

"And I was so sad... You didn't answer my call either!"

"Call? I don't remember..."

"Nagato, you are the worst! Oni! Akuma!"

"Tsk, you're the one who has the Oni character (鬼) in her name anyway..."

(*_Mikoto _is written 魅箏*)

"My, are you doubting my name choices, Nagato?" A soft familiar voice called his attention.

"Of course not, Shion-obachan!" He bowed immediately.

"You better not. After all, I picked that Demon character from your mother's name..." Shion patted him on the head.

"So, how's Satoshi-ojiisan?"

"He's doing pretty well. His Baseball reviews are top-notch like always!" She seemed proud of her husband's work.

"Glad to hear that"

"And how's your band coming along?" She whispered. Shion was the only family member who officially knew about Nagato's true plans.

"Not so good. I mean, Shinji and I are doing great, but..."

"The drummer..."

"Yeah..." He said disappointed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure one will appear sooner than you expect"

"I hope"

"For now, cheer up. Everyone's happy to see you" She gave him a warm smile.

"Yeah, that reminds me. Hey Ryuu, did Eiko-chan come?"

"Right behind you!" Ryuu pointed.

A little girl with brown hair and big blue eyes was looking at him with a shy expression.

"Hey Eiko-chan how have you been?"

"Eh... This... Fine..." She felt like she was talking to a stranger.

"Good. Sorry if I startled you" He put his hand in her head.

"No... It's... It's okay..." She smiled, blushing a little.

"It's good to see everything's fine here at home" He thought as he looked at the cheerful reunion that was organised that day.

They made a banquet to celebrate the occasion. Nagato talked and played with his family and friends for the rest of the day and went back at night to Okinomiya by bus.

"I guess Himiko's right. I really love my family and friends back in Hinamizawa..."He thought as the bus travelled between the places.

Once he arrived at his appartment, he was ready to go to sleep, but something was bothering him.

"Did I really miss that call by Mikoto?" He grabbed his phone and searched the call-register.

There was in fact a missed call of his cousin, but no matter how hard he tried to remember, there was a blank space in his memory.

"Well, I guess I've been overdoing myself a bit. I don't know how though... Maybe too much guitar playing...? Nah, it can't be that" Nagato decided to forget about it and go to sleep.

The next day, things were overall normal, except for the fact that Shinji got sick. He sent an email to Nagato to tell him that he wouldn't be back for a couple days.

"Re: Man, I'm dead

Ok. Try to practice if you feel any better, but do your best to get well"

Nagato replied and received a smiley face as an answer.

For lunch Himiko offered to eat with him, but Nagato turned down her invitation.

"I like eating alone sometimes. You go have fun with your friends" He replied.

"If you say so... Well, see you later!" And she left.

He went to the cafeteria as he normally did and opened his bento. He was about to start eating when he noticed someone sat in front of him.

"You don't mind if I sit here?" A soft girl's voice asked.

"Not at all..." He replied, to later notice that it was the bullied girl of the other day. "I don't want to ask her anything though, I'm sure she'd just be bothered"

"Thank you" She replied and started eating as well.

After a while without exchanging a single word, she broke the ice.

"Are you sure I'm not bothering you?"

"Really, you're not. What makes you think that?"

"I don't know... I just felt like you were acting cold towards me" Her gray eyes stared oddly at him.

"Um... I don't understand what you're saying. I mean, I don't know you" He said with a confused smile. "Why would I be talking to a stranger anyway?" He thought.

"I see..." The girl stopped eating, picked her stuff and left immediately.

"Huh?" Nagato was in shock. "Did I say something wrong?" He thought.

As the day progressed, all he could think of was that girl. Why did she think he was being cold towards her? Why did she leave so suddenly as if he had just insulted her? Nagato was most of the time calm, but these kind of situations made his mind race in an obsessive way in order to find the answer to such behaviour.

"I wonder, I wonder..." He repeated with the mental image of Ryuu's mother saying those words.

Once classes ended he made a decission.

"Hey Nagato, let's go home!" Himiko told him.

"Sorry Himiko, there's some stuff I gotta take care of. I'm staying for a while"

"Okay... I won't ask now, but please tell me tomorrow what's going on, and if it's a fight do it outside of school!" Himiko thought that was a very strange situation.

"I'll evaluate that request"

And so, his friend left. He, on the other hand, decided to wait by the school entrance.

He saw many students leave the school, and hoped that the mysterious girl hadn't left already.

He was lucky. After 10 minutes waiting, she was exiting the building.

"Hey you" He said and the girl stopped to look behind.

Nagato stopped leaning on the wall and walked towards her.

"Why did you leave like you were offended by something?"

"I thought anyone would be hurt by a friend denying to know them" She replied with an inexpressive face but with a slightly menacing tone.

"Friend? Hey, I was not lying or pretending when I said that _I don't know you_"

"That's odd. I perfectly know that's not true, but you don't seem to be lying at all" Despite her robotic expression, she was actually surprised.

"Let's see, you are a transfer student, that arrived last Friday and who I have never even talked to until today. How come we are friends?" Nagato was more confused every second.

"I even gave you my number" She insisted.

"Huh? Now, now. Let's see here, I'm gonna check just in case, but we both know that it's impossible for me to have-" As he checked his contacts list, he noticed a contact he had never seen before.

_Asahara Megumi_

"Um... Are you by any chance... Asahara Megumi?"

"Yes. We met at the Arcade last Saturday"

"Arcade? But I never go there!"

"Really? I do recall seeing you there that day, I'm sure"

"And I'm telling you that there's no way in the world I was!"

"Unless... You had a twin brother. Now that I think about it, you have purple eyes, the person I met had green ones. But then, that wouldn't explain why _yo__u_ have my number"

"What the-? I... I do have a green eye and a purple one, but I never let my fringe cover my purple eye"

"Could you have... Two personalities?" Megumi's hypothesis was quite plausible at this point.

"Not that I know, hahahaha... But, something's definitely wrong" He realised.

"What's your name?" She asked him.

"Don't you know it already?"

"Just do it"

"Sonozaki Nagato" He felt stupid.

"It makes sense..."

"How?"

"You see, you didn't really tell me your name, you just told me to call you _N_" She was dead serious.

"N? I never use my initials..."

"I'm just repeating what you told me that day. At first I thought you were pretending not to know me to hurt me or something..."

"Why would I do that?!"

"But now I'm starting to really think that I met a different person that day"

"Geez, this all seems like a bad joke to me. However, there are too many weird things to just let this go... Would you mind if we go to the Arcade? Maybe I get to remember something"

"Alright" She accepted without further questioning.

After walking for a while, Nagato became curious about her.

"So... Where did you transfer from?"

"I used to study at home, but that is not possible anymore. I come from a place close to Tokyo"

"I see. Was it pretty there?"

"Yes, I loved to play in the forest, which reminds me that this city is quite different from that"

"Hinamizawa is pretty close though. There it's all hills, forest and rivers"

"Hinamizawa?"

"Yeah, it's a village not far from here. I used to live there before I started High School. I moved to Okinomiya then"

"I see. Would you mind showing it to me?" She was blunt.

"Um... I don't know you much but guess there's no reason to say no, is there?" He said something polite, but his expression showed a hint of dullness.

"You really are different from _him_" Megumi smiled as well.

"Who?"

"N, of course"

"H-Hey! Don't assume his existence so suddenly!"

"I'm not assuming anything, I _know_ he exists" She shook her head and said with decision.

Once they arrived, Nagato gave a look at the place. It didn't matter how much he looked around, he couldn't get a single memory of that day.

"I'm curious about something..." Megumi started telling him.

"What is it?"

"Would you mind playing a round with me?" She pointed at the DDR Extreme machine.

"Huh? I've never played that before..."

"It's for experimental purposes"

"Well... Okay then, let's give it a shot" Nagato stepped on the machine and flipped two 100¥ coins in it.

As the game started he had to select the Versus Mode. Then he had to pick a difficulty.

"I should go with Difficult, since it's not the hardest but it's not embarassing either" He thought.

Megumi immediately chose Heavy for herself though.

"Screw it..." He mumbled as he selected Heavy as well.

Then, the song list appeared and Megumi started going through the songs. A particular name picked his interest.

"Hey, can we play that one?"

"TSUGARU... It's fun, okay" She agreed. "But, could we play the Apple Mix?"

"I have no idea what that means, but if it's the same song, why not?"

Megumi picked the Mix, which had a bit more challenging steps than the original.

Nagato liked the song, but was truly terrible at the game. He could follow the rythm, but most steps were off-tempo beats, so they were beyond his ability.

"Whatever... I knew I was terrible at it anyway" Nagato said after getting a big E, while Megumi got an A.

"I see. It seems that certain abilities also change with your personality"

"You accepted your little theory as fact before we even proved anything"

"N is even better than me. He got at least AA on all songs excluding the MAX songs and Paranoia Survivor"

"Anyway, we can continue playing"

"Are you sure? Even being a terrible player?"

"You don't have to shove it on my face!"

"Or could you be..." Her expression suddenly became surprised.

"Huh?" Nagato noticed.

"...Doing this for me?" Her eyes filled with hope.

"I... I just thought you were having fun" He acted tsundere.

"Thank you" She smiled.

"She's really pretty when she shows her emotions..." He thought

They played the 2 remaining songs, Megumi picked Sakura and Drop Out.

As Nagato was too bad at the game, he just gave up halfway at the song, so he just watched Megumi play.

Her screen showed a lot of Perfect and Great messages, even though she sometimes missed a step or two. As soon as he stopped looking at the screen and looked at her he noticed what might be the reason for the bullies' jelousy.

As she danced, her bust moved up and down in an almost hypnotic way.

"Wow, with school clothes she didn't seem to have such a figure, but now that she's moving like that... I think those are just a size smaller than Mikoto's" He thought and got beet red, just like his mother.

Once she finished they played a couple of other games as this was more of an excuse to hide his blushing, and then they exited the Arcade.

"Geez, you're really good" He told her.

"Thanks, but I still have to practice more if I want to beat N"

"About that... Maybe there's a way to clear this mess once and for all"

"What are you planning to do?"

"I have a feeling my dad could help with this, so I think I'm skipping school tomorrow..."

"Would you mind if I tag along?"

"You don't mind missing a whole day of school?"

"In other circumstances I would. However, this mystery has also made me curious..." She said. "No, actually... I think I'm rather... Obsessed" As she thought this her attitude seemed a bit odd, but Nagato didn't notice.

"Well, how to say no to that? It's settled then, let's meet at that bus stop at 7" He pointed.

"Yeah. But... Could you promise that you'll show up?"

Nagato felt a hint of sadness in her voice, more than of distrust.

"Don't worry. It's a promise, Megumi-san" He smiled sincerely at her.

"See you tomorrow, Nagato-senpai" She smiled back radiantly.

~~~~X~~~~

**And _this_ is the sequel someone was asking for the other day. I also love this story, and I'll try to update it as regularly as possible. However, University is starting tomorrow, so I can't promise anything, and there's also the fact that there are two other stories active as well, but I'll do my best (or at least try).**

**Hope you dig this, and as always, I'll reply to comments and reviews in the next chapters in case there are any.**

**Evhron out.**


	2. N

The next day, Nagato arrived at the bus stop in the appointed time. Megumi was already waiting for him there.

"Good morning, Megumi-san"

"Oh- G-Good morning, Nagato-senpai!" She hadn't noticed his arrival, but was glad that he came.

"Did you have a good breakfast?"

"Yeah, I guess"

"I'm asking cause there's always food at my family's house, just in case you feel hungry..."

"I'm fine for now" Megumi tried to act cool, but she was really happy that someone cared about her.

The bus arrived a couple seconds later, so they hopped on to get to Hinamizawa.

Some people looked strange at them, but nobody dared to say anything.

As the city disappeared and more vegetation was in sight, the two students looked out the window to gaze at the outside.

Once they arrived in Hinamizawa, they got off along with a handful of people and walked through the dusty road.

"It's very different from Okinomiya" Megumi pointed out.

"Yeah. My parents say that in their youth the city was a lot smaller than it is now, but as the years went by, more people moved to the area and the city continued growing. On the other hand, Hinamizawa remained almost the same size, and it still has its village atmosphere!"

"I see. The surroundings are really beautiful"

"Yeah, I really used to play around them a lot when I was a kid"

"I assume you have friends here"

"To be blunt, I only have one friend in the village. Well, at least that is not blood related, cause I have a cousin that lives here as well, but she is more of a sister than a friend to me"

"I see"

"Do you have any siblings Megumi-san?"

"No... Not anymore..." Her eyes seemed as empty as an endless cosmic void.

"Oh, I... I'm sorry to hear that"

"Don't worry. It's not like you can feel my pain anyway. No one does"

"Megumi..." Nagato was surprised that the girl was so full of despair.

"However..." She looked him in the eye. "Even if you can't share my pain, you've been good towards me. I wouldn't call you a friend right away, but I do like you Nagato, although you're not N"

"I see. Well, I think you're a nice person too. I am quite solitary myself, so I know more or less how you feel at school, but if you have no friends... I guess, I wouldn't mind being your first..." He put his hands in his pockets as he said that.

"I think it's a bit soon..." She looked away.

"Heh..."

"But given my current situation, I guess I don't have much of a choice" She looked back.

"There's no need... No need to rush!"

"No. I want to have at least someone... Someone to rely on"

"Megumi-san..." He was surprised at first, but then he smiled. "Don't worry, anything you need, I'll at least try to help you with it"

"Thanks, Nagato-senpai"

"Man, could you drop that of Senpai already? It's kinda bothering"

"It would be disrespectful to call an upperclassman by his name alone"

"Then, what about Nagato-kun?"

"I still think that calling you that is a bit rude..."

"Whatever, suit yourself then"

They walked for another while until Nagato stopped in front of a large gate with "Sonozaki" engraved in a stone tablet on the side. It was the entrance to the Sonozaki Estate.

"This is it"

"Your family has a big house" She looked at the size of the manor.

"Yeah. But my parents didn't buy this house. The manor has been passed through the Sonozaki family for generations"

"I see. Is your father at home at this time?"

"Yeah, he works at night, so he should be about to go to bed"

Nagato opened the gate with his keys and walked to the building followed by Megumi, who was inspecting her surroundings. They entered the house moments after.

Inside it was really quiet. Nagato continued going further inside while Megumi caught glance of a couple pictures laying on a wooden table.

"Tousan!" He surprised him.

"Wow, now _t__his_ is a surprise! What brings you here today Nagato?" Amuro was drinking a glass of water in the dining room and seemed happy to see him.

The two sat in the japanese style floor.

"I have kind of an odd feeling about something"

"Huh? How's that?"

"Well, the other day Mikoto said that she had given me a call last saturday, but I did not remember such a thing. I was surprised to find that what she said was true, but I passed it off as something trivial..."

"It does sound trivial so far..." Amuro agreed.

"...But it didn't matter how hard I tried to remember, it was as if my mind had erased that memory, and it didn't end there. Things got weirder after _she_ appeared" Nagato pointed Megumi who was entering the room.

"Pleased to meet you, I am Asahara Megumi" She saluted.

"N-Nagato! I-Is she...?" Amuro was speechless as he pointed at her.

"She isn't my girlfriend! Geez, why would I tell you that story just to introduce her?"

"Sorry, it's just that it's the first time I see you with an outsider that's not Himiko-chan..." Amuro apologized.

"Hi-Mi-ko" Megumi coldly repeated to herself as she sat in the floor as well.

"Going back to our main topic, the reason I decided to bring her is because she witnessed a very odd phenomena"

"That somehow is connected to your suspected memory-loss?" Amuro predicted.

"Exactly. Megumi-san, would you mind telling him what happened last saturday?"

"Alright" She agreed. "I think it was about, five PM that day, I was playing Beatmania at the local Arcade, when I noticed that someone was playing DDR in a fierce manner"

"DDR? Oh, that dancing game with the four arrows!" Amuro seemed to remember.

"Yeah. I became curious about him, so I got closer. After he finished his round, he noticed me and invited me to play as well. There was no competition, but he helped me and gave me tips to improve. I had never met someone of such... Warm nature before, so I asked for his name, but he was evasive about that"

"Call me N" She remembered hearing him say.

"However, he did offer to share his number with me, so I accepted and gave him mine as well, and I remember him adding my contact"

"I see. Where do things get strange though?" Amuro inquired.

"On Monday when I went to school, I was very happy to find N at the school cafeteria. However, when I talked to him, he told me that he didn't know me. Due to past experiences, I thought that your son was being rude to me on purpose, but I am quite familiar with that anyway, so I decided to leave"

"Wait a second. So you mistook this N guy for Nagato?"

"Yes, I forgot to mention that they look almost the same. Their only difference is that N's fringe covers his other eye, so I thought he had green eyes" Megumi clarified.

"I see..." Amuro seemed a bit uneasy.

"After that deal at the cafeteria happened, I couldn't just let things fly. I decided to wait for Megumi-san and ask her what the hell had happened. After hearing her story, I thought that it was all just a bad joke, since I never go to the Arcade, but it seems that it was true" Nagato showed his father the contact of Asahara Megumi in his phone. "_This_ was on my phone for some reason, and I can swear that I had never spoken to Megumi-san before"

"I also felt that Nagato-senpai was very different from N and that he wasn't lying about not having met me" Megumi added.

"And looking back, I think that Mikoto's call was around the time Megumi says she met me, or N, or... Whatever..." The whole deal was tiring him out.

"I understand. So you came to me looking for answers?" Amuro smiled.

"Honestly, I came asking for help, but if you know something, I'd be happy if you told me. After all, you always know about magic and stuff"

"Alright. You see Nagato, I think I know what's happening, but there's something I'd like to confirm..."

"What is it?"

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror recently?"

"Huh? No, I... I don't think I have..." It seemed like an odd question.

"I see... Would you mind showing me the eye you're covering?"

"Okay..."

As he moved his green fringe to uncover his eye, Megumi noticed that something wasn't right.

"Nagato-senpai, you told me that you had a purple eye and a green one, didn't you?" She asked.

"Yeah, it has always been like that..." Nagato repeated.

"No. It's just that you cannot remember..." Amuro revealed.

"What?!" He was caught of guard. "Wait... What do you... What do you mean? Haha" He thought he was teasing him.

"To be honest, I never thought such a thing would happen back then. But it seems that my actions had more consequences than I thought..."

"Tousan, what are you saying?"

"That there's something I've been hiding from you" Amuro had a look of distaste.

"What? Is that true?" Nagato didn't believe his ears.

"I gotta admit that, it is"

"But... Why?"

"Because it would be such an unbearable pain that I didn't want you to remember..."

"Tousan... What... What happened?"

"You... You weren't always an only child, Nagato"

"What the...?"

"I still remember the day your mother gave birth... We were so happy... As happy as we could ever be..." Amuro smiled with joy as he remembered. "And it was an even greater surprise when we found out that it was two children... What a shock that was..."

"You mean I... I had a twin?"

"We gave him the name... Nagito, since the probability of having twins is so low, your mother thought that _luck_ was a fitting title for that unexpected second child, as well as the fact that it sounded similar to Nagato"

Both Nagato and Megumi were speechless.

"For seven years, you lived happily. I remember how you would play all day together. It was amazing that even when you two looked the same, you were in fact quite different when it came to art. You, Nagato, were always a musical prodigy; Nagito, on the other hand, could paint and draw beautifully without much effort. You would ask him to draw your favourite characters from Anime and Manga, while he would ask you to play his favourite songs on koto"

"But... That makes no sense! How come I don't have any memories of him?!"

"That is..." Amuro had difficulty explaining that part. "You see, a tragedy occurred on your 7th birthday"

"Huh?"

"Up to this day, we don't know what happened... But that day, that April 14... Nagito was fatally wounded and you were brought here unconscious"

"What kind of wound was it?!"

"He had been stabbed, and by the shape of the wound I concluded that it was no normal knife, it was a ceremonial dagger"

"As if... Someone tried to sacrifice him for a ritual?" Megumi asked.

"Exactly. However, he managed to escape somehow, and also brought an unconscious Nagato in his arms back home. It seems they were on the forest, but that is just an assumption, Nagito was too weak to tell me anything more than..."

An image of the tragic moment appeared in Amuro's mind.

"Tousan, Kasan... I love you. Don't worry... I'll always be watching over... Nagato..." Nagito said as his green eyes were losing colour.

Amuro's eyes let a pair of tears escape. The face he made indicated that he hated crying, but remembering that terrible moment forced his eyes to give up to the emotion.

"Tousan..." Nagato put his hand on his father's shoulder.

"I'm alright..." He smiled again. "It's just that... No father should ever bury his son"

Megumi and Nagato felt moved by his words.

"And that's why..." Amuro continued. "That's why I decided that I wouldn't let Nagito die that day"

"No way..." Nagato couldn't make sense of those words.

"I used all the Mana I had in my body to cast a spell that allowed me to deposit Nagito's soul inside your body, Nagato"

"Mana?" Megumi repeated.

"Magical energy. There's no point in hiding it now, after what you've seen. You can try all you want to find a scientific answer to this as well, but you won't find any" Amuro replied.

"No, I believe you"

"So, all those stories about Demons and Gods were... That was all true?" Nagato asked him.

"Every one of them"

"Damn..."

"But going back to the important, from the very first moment Nagito's Soul was within you, your eyes changed. Ever since then, you've had those different coloured eyes, one belonging to you and the other to Nagito"

"So N is... Nagito?" Megumi asked.

"That's what I suspect" Amuro answered.

"But, how did I lose my memory?" Nagato asked.

"Well, that's something I don't know even today. After you woke up that day, you had lost every memory of your twin. Because of that, we told everyone to pretend that Nagito had never existed while they were with you. I thought of telling you as you grew up, but you seemed so happy now, that I thought that telling you the truth wouldn't be beneficial in any way"

"Goddammit!" Nagato cursed as he hardly pressed his fist against his leg.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Like, I understand you... But still, a part of me is angry that you guys lied to me all these years... I feel like an idiot"

"Nagato-" Amuro tried to comfort him but was interrupted.

"Nagato-senpai..." Megumi looked him in the eyes. "You shouldn't feel down because of this. Sometimes the truth is harsh, but if you look at the bright side of things, your brother is alive, and he exists within you" She smiled at him.

"Megumi-san... T-Thank you" Nagato seemed to cheer up a little seeing her beautiful face comforting him.

"It seems you've made good friends in the city, Nagato" Amuro was happy.

"Yeah... Even though I met her yesterday, haha"

"I don't understand the reason Nagito appeared after so long..." Amuro muttered.

"I don't understand either. But it seems that when he does, I lose memory of anything that happens while he is in control"

"Has something abnormal or odd happened in the city recently, maybe at school?"

"Not that I recall" Nagato replied.

Amuro looked at Megumi and she shook her head.

"*sigh* I guess we don't have enough information to elaborate a theory then..." He drank the last sip of the glass of water.

"Are you going to bed now?" Nagato asked his father.

"I think I should. *yawn* It was quite a night..."

"What do you work at?" Megumi asked him.

"He's oblivious sometimes, but I doubt he really says it..." Nagato thought as his father opened his mouth.

"I'm a Yakuza boss in this area" Amuro smiled.

"He said it!" Nagato couldn't believe it.

"I see" Megumi replied stoic.

"And she's totally calm about it!" Nagato was at his limit.

"Welp, if you guys will excuse me, I gotta go to bed" Amuro stood up and staryed leaving. "And again, I'm sorry, Nagato"

"Don't worry, I'm fine now... Where's mom?"

" Oh, she's at the shrine planning Watanagashi with Rika-chan, I mean Furude-san" Amuro slipped.

"Oh. Maybe I could go there and visit Furude-obasan"

"Heh, I bet you guys aren't going back to school for the day..."

"Absolutely not. That's why I'm gonna show Megumi-san around the village"

"Hahaha. Well, have fun, I'll go grab some Zs"

"Goodbye, Sonozaki-san" Megumi told him.

"Bye, Megumi-san, it was a pleasure. Please take good care of Nagato (I know he can be a bit difficult at times, but I'm sure you'll manage). If Nagito shows up, just make sure he doesn't interact with random people. If it's family or friends they'll understand, but I can't say the same of other people"

"I understand"

Amuro left the dining room and went to his and Mion's bedroom.

"Should we go to the shrine then?" Nagato invited.

"I'd be glad to" She smiled but looked away a bit embarrassed.

"Well, we got a whole day to enjoy everything Hinamizawa has to offer. Just... Try not to get lost"

"Alright"

They left the Sonozaki Estate and walked to the other side of the village, so Megumi continued to enjoy herself with the country breeze and the sight of the peaceful site.

Once they arrived at the shrine, they climbed the stairs to the top.

Sitting there were Mion and Rika talking. Rika was as tall as Bernkastel, but had grown a pair of breasts her counterpart didn't manage to obtain (to get an idea, watch the start of the second episode of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni Kira).

"Oi, Kasan!" He walked towards her.

"Huh?" Mion was talking when she heard her son's voice calling. "N-Nagato?! How in the world...?"

"It turns out I had more important stuff than school today, so I paid a visit"

"Hi, Nagato-kun. You've grown quite a bit since last time" Rika told him.

"Is that so? I see myself the same as always"

"Well, I didn't see you since last year, so I guess I'm able to tell the difference"

"If you say so Furude-obasa-" He received a hit in the head.

"Fu-ru-de-san" Rika gave him a grim look as she corrected the way to address her.

"Sorry, sorry, Furude-san! Geez..."

"By the way, Nagato... Who's that cute girl behind you?" Mion asked.

"Is she your girlfriend? Nagato, you're such a stud..." Rika teased him.

"Sorry for not introducing myself, I just couldn't find the right time. I'm Asahara Megumi, a... friend, of Nagato-senpai" She still wasn't used to that fact.

"Nice to meet you, Megumi-san. I'm Sonozaki Mion, Nagato's mother. It's a pleasure meeting you"

"And I'm Furude Rika, a family friend. Nice to meet you"

"It's a pleasure for me as well" Megumi politely replied.

"I'm always happy to meet Nagato's friends, mostly because he isn't very good at making them" Mion said bluntly.

"I'm not very good at that either, but I don't really care... I believe Nagato is the same"

"Even if he is, it's good to have people worth your time and trust" She smiled at her.

"I understand"

"So you are not Nagato-kun's girlfriend? Too bad... I was hoping you'd be" Rika said.

"Rika-san what are you saying? We've only known each other for two days!" Nagato replied.

"Two days? And you're friends already? Good, it's only a matter of time then..." She whispered with a naughty look on her face.

"Whatever... I'm gonna show Megumi-san around. Do you mind if we enter the Saiguden as well?"

"No, it's open. You two are old enough to not be frightened by the tools in there" Rika replied.

"Thanks, Rika-san"

"Thanks" Megumi said as well.

They were about to leave, but Mion stopped them.

"Wait, Nagato" She said with a sweet voice.

"Huh, what is it?"

Mion punched him in the head.

"Nghh..." He made a sound of pain.

"That's for skipping class" She gave him a grim look.

"I was expecting something like that anyway" He was smiling, though it did hurt.

"Well... Be at home for lunch, ok?"

"Yes ma'am"

This time nothing stopped them from continuing the tour.

Nagato guided Megumi towards the Saiguden.

"This is a very old building that contains ceremonial tools used by the villagers from ages ago during Watanagashi. You see, today, the meaning of that word has been changed to _cotton drifting_, but originally, it meant _intestine harvest_"

"I didn't expect a peaceful village like this to have such a bloody past"

"Many things are not what they seem. Who knows? Maybe I could be telling a lie to hide the fact that we sacrifice human beings even today, and I'm actually luring you here to sacrifice you to Oyashiro-sama..." He gave an evil grin at her.

"I feel no bloodlust in you. Even if you try your hardest to make an evil expression, the truth is that you don't have such an intent"

"Heh, I guess not"

"And who is this _Oyashiro-sama_?"

"It's the village's deity. It's said to protect us and the village itself from all kinds of menaces"

"And you believe in it?"

"I'm not sure... Dad told me some stories about it, and even though they sound pretty much unbelievable, without the existence of Oyashiro-sama there are some events that are left with no other possible explanation"

"Your dad spoke about something called Mana..." She recalled.

"Oh that. Well, ever since I was little, he always did magic tricks and stuff. You know, like creating fire with one hand or appearing and disappearing a small object. As a kid I thought those were just tricks, but as I grew up I noticed that the things he did were far beyond the abilities of even the best illusionist you could find on TV. When I was 13 he confessed to me that he wasn't entirely human, and because of that he had some kind of affinity with magical energy, which he calls Mana. I gotta ask you to keep that a secret though, as not many people know about that"

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure he told me just because there was no other way, given the fact that I had witnessed such an unreal event"

"Glad you understand"

"However... Don't you have any powers or something of that kind?"

"Well... I've always been superior in every physical ability to normal humans, but aside from that, I've never been able to use magic if that's your question"

"I see..."

Nagato thought she was just replying politely, but Megumi perfectly understood his explanation.

"So, aside from the forest, there isn't much more to see here. Would you mind if we paid a visit to my friend at school?"

"Not at all, but I would like to go deeper into the forest later if it's possible"

"No problem. We can go after lunch"

"At what time can we leave the village?"

"By bus, it could be at 18:30 or 19:30 if you want to leave before dinner. If it's after dinner, I could ask one of my dad's men to take us by car at any time really. Which do you prefer?"

"I think it's better if we head back at 19:30"

"Oh right, you've got to return to your family"

"Not exactly. But, I'd rather be back for dinner"

"No problem. I'll just tell mom not to expect us for that meal"

"Thanks"

"Don't mention it"

They kept walking for a while, until Nagato pointed a familiar building that came in sight.

"That's Hinamizawa's school. Children of all ages study there, due to the low number of people in the area"

"So you could've graduated here instead?"

"Yeah. However, after so many years in the same place, I grew a bit tired of it"

"It's understandable. For many years I only knew my house and its surroundings. Me and my brothers were home-schooled. My father and my mother taught us everything they thought was important, and now that I've been in real schools I can assure that their teachings were good, as I've never had any difficulty with classes and tests"

"But..." Nagato knew it wasn't perfect.

"It was really boring. In the end, we were always around the same spaces, didn't meet any other people and couldn't really imagine what the world outside was like"

"Wait. So as a child you never left your house?"

"No, not once"

"Damn, that sure must've been harsh"

"Maybe. But it's all in the past now. In the present, I'm free to go wherever I want" She smiled as she looked at the clear sky above them.

"That's great then. Honestly, I've always taken the freedom my parents gave me for granted, but hearing your story I can't help but feel like a spoiled brat..."

"You shouldn't feel that way. You were lucky that your parents were more permissive, that's all. Mine were overprotective, but I don't hate them for that"

"Where do you go back though? You said that you didn't return to your parents"

"I said_ not exactly_. I live alone in Okinomiya, but there is a tutor that comes to see me a couple times a week and takes care of me"

"Ah, I see..." Nagato replied as he understood, but he felt that Megumi's situation was rather odd. "Why would she be with a tutor instead of her parents or at least some kind of relative?" He thought.

"Changing the topic a bit, how do you plan to see your friend if we're past the time for Break?"

"That's quite simple, actually" Nagato smirked as he showed her a Mail he sent to Ryuu.

"Oh, I'm still not used to cells that much, so I tend to forget about their different uses. I'm actually amazed that a place like this has good connection"

"Well, my family took care of that part since my dad's _bussiness_ requires it, you know?"

"It does make sense"

"Let's go, Ryuu should be on his way to the bathrooms outside"

"Your friend's name is Ryuu?" She asked while they walked into a small forest.

"Yeah, Maebara Ryuu. He's a year younger than me, but we've been together since we were just babies, cause our parents are very good friends"

"Are you... Are you planning to ask him about Nagito?"

"Well, I guess it was pretty obvious given the circumstances" He gave a stoic look to Megumi.

"I was just asking. I think it's only natural that you do so"

"Ah, I almost forgot, follow me from here on, cause there are traps along the way"

"Traps?"

"Yeah. My ex-sensei is crazy about them and creates the most elaborate traps. She would take us here and teach us how to do some ourselves, but honestly, I don't remember how to do even one of them"

Around the school there was now a broader fence that covered the perimeter almost completely, however, every student knew that there was a little "blind spot" through the forest. However, this place was filled with traps that only a student of Satoko would be able to recognize.

Nagato carefully passed through the place and Megumi followed, until they were inside the school grounds.

"Good, now we just have to find Ryuu"

"Nn" She made a sound of agreement.

They went to the appointed area and there was the orange-haired young man.

"Nagato! Now, this is a surprise!" Ryuu put his arm around him and left his hand in his shoulder as a sign of camaraderie.

"Yeah, I skipped school today and came home for the day"

"Well, it's not _that _rare that you skip class and come here... But bringing a beauty along? Damn man, I don't know what to say!"

"Not again... Look, I've told like half this town that she's just a friend, ok?"

"Okay, okay. Anyway, I have to introduce myself. Maebara Ryuu, it's a pleasure" He friendly smiled at her.

"Asahara Megumi, likewise"

"Now that we have that out of the way..." Nagato started. "I know that you've got to return to class, so I'll make it quick: I know about my deceased twin brother. I want you to tell me everything you know about Sonozaki Nagito" He looked at Ryuu in the eyes as he demanded an answer.

Ryuu looked down and processed the information he had just heard for a moment.

"You are angry with me, aren't you?" Ryuu asked with a forced smile without raising his head.

"I would be lying if I said that I'm fine with it..."

"Heh, what kind of best friend am I?"

"But, I understand why you guys did it. I don't have any harsh feelings on you, or anyone really. All I want is to hear about my brother"

"Really? Then I guess this is the best I can do" Ryuu took a deep breath, and then continued:

"Nagito was always the calm type. You were more rash and aggressive, but I guess Nagito was a bit more mature for some reason.

I used to play with you two a lot, but in the end, you were the one who I had more fun with. Nagito got bored after an hour or two with us. He would start reading a book or drawing something while we kept running around.

I was little though, so I don't remember anything aside from that, however, I get the feeling that after the incident you became a lot more like Nagito. I'm sorry that I can't tell you more" Ryuu concluded.

"No, it's good enough. Thank you Ryuu, and don't worry, you are my best friend indeed" Nagato put his hand on his friend's shoulder and smiled at him.

"How did you find out though?"

"Because Nagito came back" Megumi replied. "I met him, and then went to Nagato thinking they were the same person"

"...But they weren't" Ryuu understood. "Sonozaki-san once told me that it was possible that this happened, but that it was far-fetched"

"It happened though. And I'm not really troubled by it, but I try and try to remember him... To no avail" Nagato put his hands inside his pockets.

"That's why you wanted to hear what I knew about him..."

"Yeah... I still have the hope that I will remember him if I hear something in particular"

"Hum... I think your parents would be the best for that, then" Ryuu raised his index finger.

"Yeah, I know. Guess I just wanted to give it a shot anyways"

"Well, I told you everything I knew, so I think I'll be going back to class"

"You've been outside for a while now, you better get going. Thanks, Ryuu"

"I owed you that much. We could go hang out in Okinomiya one of these days"

"Yeah, why not?"

"The same goes for you, Megumi-san"

"Ah... Well, if Nagato-senpai doesn't mind, I would be glad to hang out with you two" She smiled and looked away.

"Let's do that sometime in the near future then. We could bring Mikoto along as well" Ryuu remembered.

"As long as she doesn't cling to me like she always does, I wouldn't mind" Nagato replied.

"It's settled then, have fun for the rest of the day!" Ryuu said goodbye.

As his friend disappeared from their sight, Nagato kicked a rock that was laying around out of frustration.

"Damn it... I was hoping he'd know something more... You know, more specific"

"But he's right. You'd have better luck asking your mother"

"Yes, that's true. Actually, we should be near lunchtime, so we should head back to the manor"

They started going back through the little forest, when Megumi stepped in a mysterious terrain filled with leaves.

"MEGUMI!" Nagato yelled as he noticed.

"Huh?" Was all she could mutter as she started falling.

Nagato was quick enough to get to the spot, so he extended his arm and was able to catch Megumi by the wrist in the last possible moment.

"No, Nagato-senpai, you might fall too... I-I'm letting go!"

"Don't talk shit to me... I'm getting you out!"

He pulled her back as carefully as he could and once she was safe he checked if she had been injured.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah... I think so" She still had high adrenaline levels due to the unexpected misfortune.

"Great. Those booby traps aren't so dangerous, but you could have gotten a bruise or two if you fell in a wrong position"

"Thank you Nagato-kun, you saved me" Her gray eyes shined as she thanked her savior.

"That's what friends are for, so don't do stupid things like that" Even though he scolded her, he smiled relieved.

"Sorry..."

They continued the road even more carefully, until they were out of the treacherous place.

Once they were back in the manor, they smelled a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen.

"Do you like _tonkatsu_ Megumi-san?"

"I think I've never tasted it before"

"Then this is your lucky day" Nagato knew how outstanding his mother's cuisine was.

They entered the dining room and found that everything was in place for lunch.

"So, how was the tour?" Mion asked his son.

"It was alright, I guess. I do want Megumi-san to come for Watanagashi so she can really enjoy something special from the village"

"Yes, Nagato-senpai told me that it's something quite unique" Megumi agreed.

"Back in the good old days, this old man would go play and eat with all his friends at the festival..." Mion was lost in the memories.

"Who is she talking about Nagato-senpai?" Megumi whispered.

"Oh that, it's just some weird way of speaking mom has, but she is referring to herself"

"Ah, I see"

"...Your father would eat thrice what a normal human would be able to eat though, so he always won that kind of competitions" She finished without noticing their little chat.

"About that, should I go wake him up?"

"Don't worry, I made sure the smell would reach him. He should be up in no time!" She knew how much her husband loved her cooking.

"*yawn* Dear, is that smell... Tonkatsu?" Amuro did just as she predicted, since he was sniffing the smell that came from the food.

"Of course. I wanted to make something special since Nagato brought a friend" She smiled at Megumi.

"Oh, you're back! Sorry not to notice but I was just waking up..." He scratched the back of his head like he used to do when he was embarrassed.

"Don't worry, Tousan, we know you work hard"

"It must be really exhausting staying up all night" Megumi added.

"Does Megumi-san know about...?" Mion got a bit worried.

"Yep, she knows he's a Yakuza Boss" Nagato confirmed it.

"Is that so...? Ahahahahaha..." She nervously laughed.

"I don't care about that, Sonozaki-san, so you don't need to worry" Megumi calmed her with a warm smile.

"Phew... I was afraid you'd become afraid of us if you knew that information" She sighed in relief.

"Megumi-san is a strong girl, I can tell just by looking at her. Knowing such a trivial thing wouldn't affect her" Amuro added.

Like on cue, the stomachs of both father and son growled in demand for food.

"Well then, shall we have lunch? I'll bring the pork and the sauce right away, so you just take a seat"

"Yeah!" The men replied full of enthusiasm.

Moments later everyone was enjoying the delicious meal Mion had cooked. The fried pieces of pork were perfectly cooked and the sweet sauce complimented its flavour in a way that it became even more tasty.

"So, how is it, Megumi-san?" She wanted the guest's opinion.

"It's simply delicious, Sonozaki-san... I think- I think I've never eaten something this good before!" Her eyes shined and she took three more pieces in a flash.

"Really? That makes me so happy. I can teach you how to make it next time you come to the house!"

"If it's not a bother, I would be really glad" She smiled and blushed a little.

"I'm looking forward to teaching you. I used to cook a lot with Nagato's cousin, Mikoto-chan back in the day, but ever since she's attending that part-time job she hasn't been much around the village for anything other than school"

"I see, then I'll try to come as soon as possible"

Once everyone finished lunch, Amuro was about to stand and go back to bed.

"Well, it sure was delicious, honey, but I think I'll *yawn* ...go back to my slumber"

"Wait, Tousan. I need you to stay for a little while"

"Oh, I see. I won't deny your request then" He wanted to be responsible with his decission.

"Is something the matter, Nagato?" Mion was surprised.

Megumi gave him an understanding look before he decided to speak again.

"Tousan, Kasan, I want you to tell me about my brother. To be precise, a memory you think may help me remember Nagito"

~~~~X~~~~

**Finally I finished this second chapter. University is not _that_ hard, but it does demand a lot of my time. For now, the plot is really _friendly_ in the way that there is no real threat affecting this world, but don't worry, sooner or later... It will be stained with blood.**

**Evhron out.**


	3. Forgotten Memories

Mion looked at him perplexed. She didn't expect his son to even know about such thing. But there he was, looking for truth in hope of remembering a long-lost brother who had remained forgotten for a decade.

"A-Amuro? You... You told him?"

"Mio-" He was going to explain.

"No, Tousan, I'll do it. After all, it was I and Megumi who found out"

"She knows as well?"

"Yes, Sonozaki-san" Megumi replied.

"But then... H-How? Why? W-What happened?" A hint of sadness could be heard in her tone of voice.

"For some reason, the other day... Nagito took control of my body"

"And I interacted with him when that happened. The next day I talked to Nagato-senpai thinking they were the same person..." Megumi continued.

"And so it began. In the end, there were so many inexplicable phenomena, that I decided to tell dad about it"

"I thought that the best I could do given the circumstances was telling him the truth, Mion. That's why he knows, and that's why I think it's only natural that he wants to remember Nagito" Amuro clarified.

"So that's what happened..." She sadly muttered and looked at her son. "I... I'm so sorry, Nagato!"

"Kaasan... You don't have to feel that way. I know that you only wanted the best for me..." He calmed her. "But it's also true that, I can't live in ignorance now that I know Nagito exists!"

Mion pressed a hand against her chest. "*sigh* Then it's only fair that I comply..." She sadly smiled at her son.

"So, what can you tell me about him?"

"I could tell you many things, but I... I think I have something far better than just a story"

"No way..." Amuro muttered. "You... You kept them didn't you?" Amuro seriously told her.

"Of course I kept them! He w- He is _our_ son!" Mion's eyes started letting tears out. "How could you expect me to erase every trace there was of him?!"

But to that reply Amuro didn't react like she expected.

"Ahahahahaha!" He laughed full of joy.

"Huh, you're not angry, Amuro?"

"Why would I be? I had regretted that decision my whole life!"

"What is he talking about?" Nagato inquired.

"At first, I thought that the best we could do was erasing all photos Nagito had with you. Of course there are a couple photos of him, but the ones we left were all in which we could say it was just you with your hair flipped to the other side" Amuro bitterly admitted. "That said, it seems I don't have anything to regret anymore" He smiled happily at Mion.

Nagato growled in sign bother. "Whatever, can I look at a picture then?"

"Sorry, I'll go get them" Mion stood and went out of the dining room.

Amuro followed his wife out of curiosity.

"Why didn't you ask her when we were at the shrine?" Megumi inquired once they were alone.

"Because Furude-obasan was there, and also cause I didn't feel like it was the right time. Looking at the result, I think I made the right choice"

"True. So far it seems like you were right, Senpai"

"I just hope that this helps. I don't know what I'll do in the unlikely event that even after seeing him alongside me I can't recall his existence..."

"For times like this, the best is not having any expectation. That way, you won't be disappointed, no matter how negative the outcome is"

"By any chance, did you do that when you finally knew the world outside your boundaries?"

"Yes. Thanks to that, I'm grateful every day of the world where I live in currently. Of course, when I was a little girl, I used to imagine all kinds of crazy things about the outside... But as I grew up I realized that such a way of thinking brings only misery"

"Damn... Well, I'll try to do that then, but I doubt I can pull it off" Nagato stared helplessly at the floor with his hands on the table.

Megumi put her hand on top of his.

"Don't worry, Senpai, you're not alone" She comforted him with her touch and a smile.

"Heh... Thanks, Megumi" He smiled back at her withiut realising the situation for a couple seconds. Once he did, he got red and looked away.

"Oh, sorry!" She was embarrassed as well.

"No, no. I needed that. You did nothing wrong" He smiled.

"Okay, I'm back!" Said Mion as she put a giant book on top of the table. It had a dark green cover and looked a bit old.

"What is this?" He asked.

"It seems your mother had more than just a picture..." Amuro replied as he entered the room.

"Yeah. It's a photo album full with pictures of you two!" She seemed really eager to open it.

"Are you ready, Nagato?" Amuro asked.

"Yeah. Let's do it"

As Mion's hands opened the book, Nagato felt his heartbeat run faster. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't know what would happen. Maybe it was the thought of finally remembering his brother.

Regardless of the reason, he remembered Megumi's advice and decided to think that nothing would happen, making the expectation rate 0%.

The first page had pictures of two newborn babies. They were sleeping side by side in a small comfy-looking mat.

The two babies had white hair and a thin green fringe.

"They really looked the same..." Megumi muttered.

"That's how twins are. Actually, I have a twin of my own as well, and without changing our hair, we looked exactly the same" Mion replied.

"It's a nice picture, but I don't really feel anything special by looking at it" Nagato said disappointed.

"Don't worry, there are many more. At least one of them should work" His mother tried to comfort him as she lifted the page.

In that page, Nagato saw a picture of himself and his brother crawling through the wooden floor of the Sonozaki Manor. The two had their eyes open, so he was able to check that they had different eye color.

"Anything?" Amuro asked him.

"Hmm... No, let's keep moving forward"

Looking through the rest of the book, there were pictures of the two playing, sleeping, drawing, going to the festival, etc. This gave Nagato an idea of what growing up with his brother had to have been like, but unfortunately, none of the pictures gave him the effect he desired.

"Damn it... I try and try to remember something, but I'm simply unable to!"

"Calm down, Nagato. We have seen like half the album only, there is a chance that what you're looking for is within the next pages" Mion replied.

"No. I don't think that this is gonna help any further. I'll just have to live knowing he existed. Like the idea of having done things when you were a baby. You don't remember it, but you can imagine what it was like thanks to what other people tell you or the pictures you have..." Nagato's voice sounded really disappointed.

"*sigh* I'm sorry that this wasn't of help in the end" Mion hugged him.

"You don't have to be. I'm glad that you told me the truth and that you tried your hardest to help me remember. You did nothing wrong, Kasan" Nagato hugged her as well.

Amuro smiled sadly while looking at that scene while Megumi thought it was a really cute and heartwarming moment.

Mion sobbed a bit due to the frustration she felt from being unable to help her son.

Nagato, on his part, wasn't so sad about it, but he did feel that there was no way he would be able to remember his brother now.

"Whatever... This is how things are. I'm not gonna achieve anything by lamenting myself about an unchangeable fate" He thought.

In the instant he accepted the current situation, his mind became calm and somehow, clear.

"Kasan, I'm alright. You don't need to comfort me or anything" He smiled at her.

"Really? It's just that I felt responsible because it was I who had the idea of doing this in the first place..."

"It doesn't matter. I'm happy knowing that at least I have pictures of my brother, and anyway, Megumi-san told me something that it's true. In the end, what's important is that my brother is alive within me, and even if I can't remember him, knowing he's always with me is good enough" He touched his chest with his hand as if he felt his brother was there.

"Are you really okay with this, Senpai? I'm sure that there may be more options if we try harder"

"Yeah, things are fine as they are. I'm really glad you care, Megumi-san, but everything's okay like this" He pat her head.

As she felt his hand caressing the top of her head, gently caressing her hair, she blushed and smiled against her will.

Mion and Amuro were very surprised by that brief moment, but pretended not to care.

"Welp, all we have to do now is ensure that Nagato and Nagito learn to coexist within that body" Amuro said.

"Eh?! But this is my body!"

"Even if it is, we can't change the fact that he resides within it in"

"Nagito-senpai doesn't seem to appear frequently though" Megumi replied with a doubtful expression.

"What? Now he's your senpai too?" Nagato didn't seem to like the way she referred to his brother.

"Maybe there is some sort of trigger we don't know about yet" Amuro said while thinking.

"Does something come to mind, Amuro?" Mion asked him.

"Earlier, I asked the two of them if they had seen anything out of the norm. Mostly because, a powerful form of magic could have disrupted the harmony inside Nagato's body. If that's the case, the most probable explanation is that Nagito appears when the source of a large amount of Mana is close"

"But what could store such a dangerous amount?" Mion asked. "I can only think of..."

"An Angel or a Demon" Amuro completed.

"Angel... Or Demon?" Megumi repeated.

"Well, it's all just a theory. But as far as I know, this World doesn't have any human beings who possess such power"

"This... World?" She repeated with her doubtful tone making even less sense of it.

"Whatever... In the end, what can we do?" Nagato decided not to explain such a tedious thing to his Kouhai.

"In the meantime, just do your daily routine as normal as possible. If anything strange comes across, just come by and I'll tell you what to do depending on the situation. I would prefer if you took your _sword_ with you, Nagato"

"Really? Are you sure I won't get into trouble with the police or somethin' for carrying that thing around?"

"Hmm... That's true. Welp, no choice then, I'll have to teach you to summon your blade"

"Wait. Tousan, are you serious?"

"Yeah, why would I be lying?"

"I don't know, but like, I've never even shown signs of having Mana"

"And who said you needed Mana? All I'm gonna do is create a VIA that allows you to get your weapon whenever you are in trouble"

"A VIA?"

"It's a connection between an object and a person. It works pretty much like a portal. Whenever you are in a pinch, a magic circle will appear in your hand and the Katana will come out of it"

"What do I have to do?"

"Just stay here while I go for the..."

"Here it is!" Mion had already searched for the Katana.

"Oh, thanks, dear"

Mion smiled at her husband blushing a little.

"No way..." Megumi muttered.

"What is it?" Nagato asked.

"Is that a... Masamune?"

"Ho? You know about Japanese swords Megumi-chan?" Mion asked her.

"Yeah... In my house there was a book about famous Japanese blades. My favorites were the ones made by Muramasa and Masamune, so I could recognize it immediately"

"Then you'll love this. Do you have any idea of which one it is?"

"Hmm... At first glance, I'm not sure... But judging by its fine looks..." She made a more detailed inspection, only to be astonished. "No... It can't be!"

"Ah, so you recognized it!"

"Honjou. That's the one and only Honjou Masamune!"

"Is it so special?" Nagato didn't know about it.

"Senpai, this is one of the finest, if not _the_ finest Japanese blade in existence. It is a national treasure, and it's been lost since World War II!"

"Yeah... It wasn't easy finding it, but only a sword of that calliber was good enough to slay Demons" Amuro added.

"I can't believe I'm seeing it with my own eyes..." Megumi was in a higher state of amusement.

"I would've never thought Megumi-san was a sword freak! Haha..." Nagato laughed.

"We also have a Muramasa, but that's the opposite of what we need if it's a Demon what we're facing here" Amuro added.

"I would love to see it!" Megumi exclaimed but immediately noticed her anxiety. "At... Another time, of course..." She blushed a bit.

"Hahaha! Don't worry, Megumi-chan, we are delighted to have you. If you want, this old man can show you the entire swords collection" Mion smiled at her in a friendly way.

"That's a great idea, love. You go entertain our guest while I create the VIA" Amuro replied.

"Really?!" Her gray eyes shined.

"For real, follow me!"

The two women exited the room as if they were the best of friends.

"In the end, we can at least say you made yourself a very good friend, didn't you, Nagato?" Amuro said to comfort him.

"Yeah, I guess. She's a bit odd sometimes, but I'm nowhere near normal either, so I'm glad she's the way she is"

"Did she tell you anything about her?"

"Well, she did say that she grew up secluded from the rest of the world. Her parents taught her at home"

"Quite an odd situation I must say"

"Yeah. For some reason she's not with them anymore. Instead, she came here to finish her studies and has a tutor that comes see her every now and then, or so she said. She doesn't seem to be affected by it, though"

"Hum... I might be worrying a little, but maybe this is just an irregular situation. However, just in case, try to spend more time with her, Nagato. She might have it rougher than you think"

"Yeah, and also the fact that she helped me with this whole deal. I couldn't just ignore her after all we've been through"

"I'm proud of you. That's the least I expect from my son" Amuro gladly said.

Nagato just accepted the compliment with a smile.

"So, let's start" Amuro grabbed the Masamune and passed his hand through the blade. As he did, a lightblue energy could be seen reflected on the blade. "Now give me your hand"

Nagato extended his right hand to him.

Amuro charged his hand with the energy he had deposited in the sword. As he did this, Nagato could feel a subtle warmth going through his hand.

Once it had finished, a magic seal appeared in his hand for a moment and then vanished.

"That's a sign of our success"

"So now, whenever I need to use it, it'll teleport to my hand or somethin'?"

"It will go through your hand until you grab it by the handle, but yeah"

"Cool"

"Also, I know you don't need it for your casual fights, but please refrain from using it for such trivial matters"

"Like I need it for that... My fists are more than enough" He smirked.

"I know. You haven't fought for quite a while anyway, right?"

"No, I haven't. Since last year, no one has dared to bother me or Shinji"

"Good. I'm not too fond of fights, but I understand that sometimes people are just asking for a punch in the face, aren't they? Fufufufu..."

"You always laugh like that when you're thinking mean stuff... Is that because of...?"

"Yeah, it is some kind of remnant from my previous... Situation" He remembered the time he was divided into two people. "That was very different from your current case, though. Consider yourself lucky"

"I know... Things can always get worse"

"That's sad, but true. However, we must do our best to enjoy the life we have. We're already here, so... What's the point of sinking in misery?" Amuro said this as optimistic as possible to cheer him up.

"That makes sense"

"Well, let's go see how the girls are doing"

"Alright. Ah, Megumi-san wanted to leave kinda early, so we're not staying for dinner"

"That's too bad. I'm sure your mom would've wanted to spend more time with you two, even if you skipped school"

"I know, but that's the way it goes"

They went to a new building in the Sonozaki Estate that was built with the purpose of storing relics, weapons and other stuff related to magic Amuro came across.

"So, how is the tour going?" Amuro asked the girls.

"Great, Sonozaki-san. Mion-okaasan showed me many cool weapons. The one I was looking forward the most to see was the Muramasa though, and it was as fierce and elegant as I imagined" She looked really happy. It was an expression Nagato had never seen before.

"It seems you two became pretty close in this little while" Nagato pointed out.

"Yeah. Megumi-san is such a lovely girl! She also told me that she wanted to take Kendo lessons with me!" Mion was really happy.

"Hey, Megumi. You are not planning on coming daily to my house, are you?"

"What? Of course not, Nagato-senpai. Just two to three times a week" Megumi used her fingers to count the days she would visit.

"*sigh* Whatever... If that makes you two happy..."

"Did it go well?" Mion asked her husband.

"There was no inconvenience. Nagato can summon the Masamune whenever he needs it"

"That's good to hear. I can't say I'm totally calm about it, but at least that's something we can count on"

"Hey, Senpai, now that you're ready, are we gonna go see the woods?"

"Ah, right. Let's go. We won't be staying for dinner though"

"Megumi-san told me. It's okay" Mion was happy about it. "After all, it's not like I was expecting to see you any time soon, and even less that I would meet a new friend of yours"

"Yeah, that was a really big surprise. I even thought she was your girlfriend for a second back there... Ahahahaha..." Amuro scratched the back of his head.

Nagato just glared at him.

"I was really happy to meet you two, as well. I never imagined that Nagato-senpai had such a cool family"

"Is that so? Hahaha. I'm so glad Nagato met someone like you. You're always welcome in Hinamizawa!"

"Really? Thanks!" Megumi blushed a little as she smiled upon hearing Mion's words.

"Well, I guess we'll be leaving then. If by any chance something happens, I'll let you guys know" Nagato walked towards his mother and hugged her. "Thanks, Kaasan. I know you did your best"

"Nagato..." Mion was surprised to see her grown son, who was always a bit cold, approach her like that, but such a thing made her really happy, so she embraced him harder. "Be careful"

After she let go of him, he also gave a hug to Amuro.

"Thanks, Tousan. If it wasn't for you, Nagito wouldn't be with me right now"

"That's not true. I'm sure that even if he had entered the gates of Heaven, he would still be watching over you"

"Maybe..."

"Take care, Nagato, and Protect Megumi-san as well"

"Of course"

Megumi bent to show her gratitude and followed Nagato towards the gate.

Later, the two walked around town and entered the woods through the road leading to Yagouchi.

"We won't be climbing the mountain?"

"No, it would take too long. But, we could go see a shrine that's deep into that mountain another day"

"Okay. I guess it wouldn't be fun to see everything in one day, anyway"

"Of course. After all, you'll start coming here more frequently now, won't you?"

"Right. I wasn't sure about entering a sports club at school, but learning Kendo with Mion-okaasan was a golden opportunity"

"Yeah. Mom is a good teacher. She made me train since I was very little. I am far better than her in terms of technique and ability, but there's no way in Hell I'd be a good teacher"

"Did you ever enter tournaments?"

"No. I was never interested in them. I've always known that I'm stronger than most people, so I don't see a challenge in facing someone who doesn't stand a chance" Despite his words, his tone wasn't one of pride, but of honesty.

"I see. Do you still train?"

"I sometimes swing my sword, but I don't really train anymore. I was once kinda obsessed with doing the _perfect_ _cut_, but I never managed to do it..."

"By that you mean, a swing done with such speed and precission that it can cut through anything?"

"Exactly. The only blade that allowed me to do that was the Muramasa, but mom said that it was too dangerous"

"How old were you back then?"

"I was 14. The only things I did back then were playing guitar and training Kendo"

"You play the guitar, Senpai?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I think it's great that you like music. My family had a grand piano, and I learned to play it when I was about 4. I haven't stopped ever since, and now I can learn any song I want by ear"

"For real? You must be amazing then. I've never been too much into Classical music, but I do admire some composers for their genius compositions"

"Really? Do you have a favourite piece by any of them?"

"Hum... Well, if I think about Beethoven, Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement comes to mind. If I think about Liszt, maybe La Campanella would be my favourite. But I think that out of all the things I've heard, the one that thrills me the most is Chopin's Etude Op. 10 #4 _Torrent_"

"That song is beautiful, even though it is incredibly hard. I haven't played it in a long time... But maybe if I practiced for a day or two, I'd be able to play it again perfectly"

"Amazing. But, you don't have a piano in Okinomiya, do you?"

"Oh. No... No, I don't"

"Ah, but there is a piano at School. I could show you to the music room. I think there is a Music Club or something, but I can _ask_ them to let you play when you want to"

"Really, Senpai? That would make me... Really happy" She made a really cute expression as she blushed a little.

Nagato opened his mouth a bit as if he was looking at an Angel for a couple seconds.

"Nagato-senpai?"

"Ah, what is it Megumi-san?" He came back.

"Where did you say we are going?"

"Actually, I think I didn't tell you about this place. We are heading towards an abandoned quarry. Mom used to say that this place was haunted or something, but it's not true. There is a smell of sulfur in the air, but it's probably some underground hot-spring"

"How do you know it's not dangerous?"

"Cause I used to come here when I wanted to be alone. I think I was 11 when I decided to come for the first time, and since no one dares to come near the place, I thought it was perfect. The quarry is surrounded by this dense forest as well, so it's actually really nice"

"I didn't think you were so lonely, Senpai"

"I wouldn't really use the term lonely. I prefer, solitary. And yeah, I guess I grow tired of being with people sometimes"

"Well, I'm no one to judge. I was always used to being alone so, I sometimes feel that the atmosphere at school is somewhat..." Megumi tried to find the right word to describe that feeling.

"Suffocating" Nagato completed.

"Exactly. I think a couple classmates dislike me for that. I'm, you know... Quite shy, so it was hard to introduce myself to my whole class, but right after that, a group of girls was surrounding me talking about a lot of stuff I didn't know about and I felt weird. That's why I decided to run off and go read somewhere nice"

"So that's what happened" Nagato thought, remembering the girls who were talking about Megumi behind her back.

"It is hard for me to make friends. If it wasn't for that coincidence, I would never have met you Nagato-senpai"

"I doubt I would make friends if it wasn't for mere luck as well. I'm not the friendly type, and I'm not sociable either. But, I guess I could say I'm content with the way things are. How about you?"

"Well, that's kinda difficult to answer, given that I never had friends before... And it has always been hard for me to interact with people I don't know... but I'm really enjoying my time with you, Senpai" She gave him a friendly smile.

"Is that so? I'm glad to be your friend as well... But you should try to approach other people who might share the same interests as you. Maybe, I don't know, I could introduce you to Mikoto since she's a girl of your age"

"She was your cousin, right?"

"Yeah. Mom says that she is just like my aunt when she was younger. She is very cheerful and playful, but she is a bit tiring sometimes, at least for me"

"She does sound like a nice person overall"

"We could go to Angel Mort one of these days. She works there as a waitress, no, I think the term _m__aid_ is more appropiate"

"_Maid_?" Megumi repeated in sign of ignorance.

"Right, you don't know what maids are. Basically, they are a mixture between waitress and servant. They dress up in striking costumes and adopt roles. Things like, calling the customers _master_, talking with a sweet voice and other stuff like that"

"I think I get it but I'm not sure"

"Don't worry, you'll see once you go there. The food is not specially good, but the desserts are top notch. Last Saturday, the day you met N- I mean Nagito, my friend Shinji invited me to a dessert buffet at Angel Mort and it was great. Mikoto also gives me tickets for every Dessert Festa, a special day in which only a select few get to try the whole dessert menu of the new season in advance. Some people pay ridiculous amounts of money for one of those tickets..."

"That place is in Okinomiya?"

"Yeah, it's in one of the main streets"

"I never imagined a city could have so many things to do"

"And Okinomiya is just a little town in comparison to giants like Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo"

"I can't even imagine something like that"

"Those places are swarming with people though, so I wouldn't recommend living in one of those"

"That might be true. But I would like to see them with my own eyes for once at least"

"Of course. Every place has its cons, but in the end, they are all unique"

And as if on cue, they arrived at the site of the quarry.

The slight stench of sulfur was bothering at first, but they got used to it after a couple minutes.

"I see why this place is special. It's like no one has been in this place for decades" Megumi pointed out.

"And because of that, it's the perfect spot to enjoy nature in this area without javing to climb up the mountain. Locals don't come here, for the same reason my mom told me. I think they still tell students of Hinamizawa not to go near this place in some papers they give for the summer"

"I do think that there is an ominous feeling in this place. I wouldn't come here alone, but I'm not really scared as long as you're here, Nagato-senpai"

"Don't give me that much credit, this place is not dangerous, it's just lonesome"

As Nagato said that, a strangely familiar voice resonated in his head.

"No, Nagato. There is something dark and synyster in that place"

"What?" Nagato said out loud.

"Is something the matter, Nagato-senpai?"

"You... You didn't say anything, did you, Megumi?"

"No, I was just looking around the place" She replied as she picked up a small rock.

"I see. Well, I don't think there is much more to do here. We should leave"

"That's fine with me. I did enjoy the breeze and the sound of the cicadas in the surroundings"

"Those never shut up in this village"

They came back through the same path, but this time, they went directly to the bus stop.

"There isn't much more to Hinamizawa than what I showed you, to be honest"

"I bet that the day of the festival it is much livelier"

"It is. It gets a little crowded, since people from all over the area come, but it's quite enjoyable in the end"

The bus appeared and they hopped on.

Back in Okinomiya, the street lights had just been turned on as the sky got darker in a pinkish twilight.

"Do you want me to... Walk you home?" Nagato asked blushing a little.

"No... I'm fine on my own. But, thanks for the offer" She blushed a bit as well.

"Do you have something for dinner? If not, I wouldn't mind inviting you to eat something around here"

"Don't worry, Senpai. Today my tutor comes to see me, so I'm sure she brought something for us to eat"

"Ah, is that so? Well, I guess it's time for me to go. See you tomorrow, at lunch time or something"

"Y-Yeah, take care"

They awkwardly started walking in opposite directions. Nagato had never interacted so much with a girl that wasn't a relative or a childhood friend, so he felt strange after realizing that he had spent a whole day with Megumi, who had never even had a friend.

Nagato had pizza for dinner and went to bed afterwards.

"I wonder what that was" He thought as he remembered the voice in his head. "It was so strange. Like, I heard my voice, but it wasn't my own thought..."

He recalled the words of his father:

"..._The most probable explanation is that Nagito appears when the source of a large amount of Mana is close_"

"No, I don't think that's it. Maybe it's something I just imagined, but... What if?"

After a while trying to finally cease his thoughts and get some sleep, his mind gave up and he could rest.

Next morning, everything was normal. A normal shower, a normal breakfast and a normal walk to school.

It would've been an everyday morning, if it wasn't for the fact that Himiko was already in the classroom waiting for an explanation when he arrived.

"So... What happened?" She asked with a friendly tone and look but an inquisitive aura around her.

"Nothing out of the ordinary" He replied emotionless. "There is a chance that Himiko doesn't know about Nagito. If I remember well, the first time we met I was already 8" He thought.

"You don't seem to have bruises on your face at least" She said while inspecting every inch of it.

"Ah, she thinks I picked up a fight" Nagato thought in relief. "Like I'd give them the chance..." He played along.

"Anyway, if it's just a fight I'm not really interested. As long as you're alright, it's ok" She sighed in relief and warmly smiled at her friend.

"Good then, cause I'm not in the mood for explaining"

"Why did you ditch school yesterday though?"

"I don't know. I just didn't feel like it" He lied.

"Hmm... I'm not really convinced by that, but I'll let you off the hook for the moment"

"Tsk, what are you, an inspector or somethin'?"

"I'm just making sure you're not up to anything dangerous or weird"

"Whatever..." Nagato left his stuff by the side of his desk and sat in the table.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Yesterday a new Kouhai came in!"

"And is that important?"

"Well, he _is_ kinda cute, but Shinji had lunch with him yesterday and..." Himiko was containing her enthusiasm to tell Nagato the big news.

"And?"

"He's a drummer. But like, incredibly good"

"Really?!" Nagato was amused. "You- You're not making this up, are you?"

"No. That's what Shinji told me anyway, so he must be the real deal"

"I really hope it is like that. What class is he in?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it's the same class that received a girl the other day. 2-C if I'm not mistaken"

"Girl... Ah, you mean Megumi-san"

Himiko smirked triumphantly. "Did I hear well, Nagato? Cause I could swear that I heard that not only you _know_ the new girl, but you call her for her first name as well"

"Shit!" He thought. "Well... It's just that... Shinji mentiined her the other day" He said to get away.

"Oh, really? I just thought that it was pretty weird... Cause strangely, yesterday she didn't come to school either"

"Why would I know about that? I just skipped class cause I wanted to. If another student did the same that doesn't mean anything"

"Well, that _is_ true. But I still find suspicious the casual way you referred to her. I doubt Shinji would be able to get her name so easily. After all, she's so cute that probably Shinji would bleed and faint before even talking to her"

"Oh, is she?"

He kept trying to get away from Himiko's questioning, but then, something that Nagato didn't expect happened.

"G-Good morning Nagato-senpai!"

As he heard her voice, he realised that his plan had failed.

"Oh, good morning, Megumi-san" He wasn't able to push her away.

"I was wondering if we could... Um... Have lunch together?"

Himiko just stood by the side smirking while grinding her teeth as she rejoiced in the awkward situation.

"I don't see why not"

"It's just that... There was too much to eat yesterday, so I saved the remains for today and it was just enough for two bentos, so I decided to give you one, Senpai"

"Is that so? T-Thanks... My mom always sends me lunch, anyway, but, I guess I can save that one for later"

"Really? I'm glad to hear that" She blushed as she looked away.

"Eh, Megumi-san. Class will start soon"

"Ah, you're right. See you later, Senpai"

Megumi left happily while Nagato made a facepalm as he thought of a swift way to explain Himiko his relation with Megumi.

"God jammit..."

~~~~X~~~~

**And that's it for this chapter. Sorry for the delay. I'll write the next one as soon as possible, but I think it's time for one of the other stories as well, so I'll do my best.**

**Evhron out.**


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